Glory of Life
by Ritsuki-chan
Summary: [AUCivil War]The Conscription Act, AKA Sango's worst nightmare. It'd taken her father, her brother, and now her boyfriend, Miroku. Now she has to marry that slug named Naraku, but he gets taken too. She decides to become a nurse, to find Miroku.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. And I do not own "Glory of Life" by mink.

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A/N: HI! I'm really hoping that this is the fic that I'll like. I don't know how long it'll be, and I'm not sure how it's gonna end… I have an idea, but I need to think more on it. But I do have a good feeling on it. I know I've said this with other fics and then I end up hating them, but hopefully I won't be so hard on myself. It's summer time, so maybe I'll be more relaxed and I'll find time to do it.

I love you guys! Have fun reading!

OHHH! And ! This is my second San/Mir fic! Yay! I wasn't planning on it being Sango and Miroku, but I thought maybe this was the change I needed. : )

**Read this first:** just so you know, this is during Civil War times. So it might seem sort of weird or something at first, but hopefully you'll get used to it. Since I'm learning about the Civil War in school, I decided to do a fic. I might use some terms or things that no one is familiar with, but I will have supportive text around it to say what it is. And also, you may think that Sango and Miroku's relationship is sort of weird, but I think that might've been what it was like that long ago. Abstinence… Such a strange thing to me. Thanks!

Things in _italics_ at the beginning and end are parts of the song, "Glory of Life". Things in _italics_ in dialog are thoughts. Or to put emphasis on words.

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**Glory of Life**

**Chapter One**

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_There are times when the world_

_Seems to fold under pressure of man_

_No one knows 'bout the tears_

_In the rain that keep falling on us_

The Conscription Act… AKA Sango's worst nightmare. It had been around for a long time now, and it had taken many loved ones from her. She didn't like seeing her father, or her brother being drafted off to fight in the war. Now here she was, taking a walk in the park for her and her boyfriend's three month anniversary. Her boyfriend? Well, he was just your average run-of-the-mill guy… To the untrained eye. Once you got to know Miroku Houshi, you could tell that he was a lying, horny, perverted son-of-a-bitch… But he wouldn't be Miroku without those character traits.

As Sango kept walking on, wondering what her life would be like if Miroku left her side to go and die out in the battlefield, she felt him squeeze her hand. She looked up and him shyly. "Yes?"

"Sango…" Miroku sighed and stopped walking, holding her hands in his. "Listen, these past three months have been really great. I really like you, but…"

She stopped him by holding her hand up. "Is this a break up speech, Miroku?"

Miroku cocked his head. "No… far from it. I was saying, I really, really like you, but I'm not so sure that you like me as much as I like you. And there's only one way I'll know for sure."

Sango smirked. She could see his inner pervert climbing up his throat and taking control over his voice box now. "What's that, Houshi?"

Miroku chuckled and smiled warmly. "Kiss me."

Sango blushed furiously, but never looked away from Miroku's eyes. They had never kissed before, but secretly, Sango had always wanted Miroku to be her first kiss. She delicately closed her eyes before she felt Miroku's warm lips upon hers.

And that was her last true smile.

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Her worst nightmare, come true. She stood there dumbly as he packed his bags. All she could do was watch, because there wasn't anything anyone could do to stop him. He looked at her, seeing the tears still showing in her eyes.

"Sango, listen, I'm sorry. I don't want to go either, there's not anyth-"

"I know."

"Then why can't you be understanding?"

"Understanding? Miroku, I understand it perfectly. You _know_ I hate this thing. You _know_ I don't want you to go. I'm going to miss you! Why can't _you_ be more understanding?"

"Sango! Calm down!" Miroku put his arms around the hysterical girl. "You think I _want_ to go? The Union is forcing me to go. They're forcing everyone to go who's twelve and up."

"It's always been like this!" Sango sobbed. "Everyone who I get close to always leaves! I'm all alone now! My mother died, and my brother and father are out there fighting, probably dead by now! And now you're going too!" She wrapped her arms tighter around him, not ever wanting to let go. But they both knew she'd have to let go for good, very soon.

"Sango, baby, I love you. I don't care what kind of things go on out there, I'm going to write you long letters every week to show you how much I care. Then you'll know whether I'm alive or not, okay?"

Sango just whimpered, not even wanting to think that Miroku may die in a few days. Miroku never had any background experience in fighting. He could throw some good punches, but his parents never allowed him to touch a gun in his life. There probably wouldn't be very much training, so neither of them knew if he would be doomed by his abilities or not.

Right now, neither of them wanted to think about it. All they wanted to do was think about each other.

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It was the day. Sango couldn't even get out of her small bed. And she hated it. She wanted to see Miroku's face before he left for what was probably forever… But she knew his face would only bring her pain.

She could only imagine what he was thinking now. Was he thinking about her? As she layed on her stomach, her tears sinking into her pillow, she could only begin to hope that the answers would come to her in the letters he promised.

Another heart wrenching sob escaped her lips, and her shoulders shook with fear. A small tap grasped her attention, and she immediately raised her tear stained face to look at her window. And there was Miroku, standing there with a single rose.

She gasped, but quickly opened the window to have her lips captured by him. She cherished the warmth he brought into her recently cold world. He broke the kiss, sadly smiling, and handed her the rose.

"I had to see you before I left. Why are you all alone in here?"

"I can't take it…" She whispered. "I didn't want to see your face… All it brings me is pain. I wish I wasn't so close to you, so I wouldn't feel this, but at the same time I'm the happiest person alive that I got to know you."

"Sango… don't talk like we're never seeing each other again. It's depressing…" Miroku sighed, laughing with a tinge of sorrow.

"But we probably aren't. My father has been gone since I was 12, and I'm 17 now. Five years? That's too long to consider him coming back. And you probably won't either, unless this damn war ends soon."

"Please, Sango, stop being so negative. Can't you just be happy that I'm here now? Wouldn't it have been awful if I left completely without you?"

"I suppose…"

Miroku crawled in her window, careful not to scratch or damage anything. He led Sango to her bed (NO LEMON … NOT YET) and sat down next to her. "I wanted to stay here for an hour or so? Just to show you that you're the last one I'll have on my mind, from now until the end."

"The end of what? The war or … your life?"

"Whichever comes first."

Sango, not wanting to think about this anymore, tightly wrapped her arms around Miroku who returned the favor. Their lips touched more times than they ever had before. Sango locked her door and shut her curtains, not wanting any of her family members seeing her doing this. To them, a young woman shouldn't start kissing men (or even letting them in her room) until she was married.

But Sango didn't care. Miroku was the man she loved and this was what she needed to remember him by.

Miroku slid his arms around Sango's waist and kissed her gently on the lips several times. As the kiss intensified, Sango held on tighter and tighter to Miroku, wanting to live with his warmth forever. Miroku started to trace his finger along the collar of Sango's shirt. Sango didn't say anything but she felt him unbutton the first few buttons.

"Miroku… I can't do this," she said as she hung her head.

He sighed, but Sango couldn't make out what emotions were accompanied with it. Sadness? Anger? Defeat? "Okay."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. It really is." He checked the clock on her wall and said, "I should go… I have to leave soon."

Sango frowned. "Okay." Miroku started to open the window and climb out, but Sango quickly grabbed his sleeve. "I love you…"

He smiled crookedly. "I love you too." Their lips met for what Sango thought would be the last time.

But she was wrong.

_Need to feel that the wind can change_

_In the home of the brave I believe…_

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**A/N:** YAY! I'm proud of the first chapter, I think it's good! Man, my chapters are always so short though. It makes me sad. But I can't think of anything else to put into chapters to make it longer… because I hate it when things are dragged out (like Brokeback Mountain. I love the movie and JAKE but they made it waaaay longer than it needed to be)… But, anyways… Maybe I should give myself two weeks every time? Hmm… Ehh… maybe not right now.

LOVE YOU GUYS! PLEASE COMMENT!

Wee Waa 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. I do not own "Glory of Life".

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**A/N:** Heyyyy guys! Thanks for all the comments :) you guys are so nice. This chapter jumps more into the future of things… No Miroku in this chapter though ; . ; sadness.

OOH and the X's in the break are to represent stitches. Just though you'd wanna know.

HEY! If you guys haven't checked out ANTIQUE CAFÉ, you **need** to. They're an _oshare kei_ band… They're SEXY. You can go on **www(dot)youtube(dot)com** and just search antique café… They're worth a listen.

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**Glory of Life**

**Chapter Two**

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_Throw a dime in the well_

_Make a wish and believe it comes true_

_Say a prayer, close your eyes_

_And you'll see all the wonders of life_

It had been too many months since Miroku left. Sango sat in her room, wasting her life away by thinking of him day and night. He promised he'd write her letters every week. She had received three. Three letters, and he'd been away for seven months. She was beyond worried.

Her mother thought that Sango was wasting her life away sitting in her room. Sango didn't think her mother understood what she was going through, but her mother understood more than anyone. After all, her mother has the same kind of trauma as Sango when Sango's father left.

Her mother, Junko, noticed her daughter's behavior and decided the time had come for Sango to move on with her life. One day, Junko peeked her head into Sango's room, just in time to see Sango close her journal. "Sango, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"You think I don't notice how nonsocial you've been lately? All you want to do is sit in your room and read, or write, or… I don't know what you do, but it bothers me."

"Why? What I do in my spare time is none of your business, mother."

"Anything you do with your life is my business. And that's why I'm here. I think it's time for you to start a life of your own."

"What do you mean?"

"It's time for you to get married. And I've already picked out a suitable husband."

"What? Why? And just who did you pick out?"

"Naraku Kumo."

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Just that name alone sent shivers up Sango's spine. Naraku Kumo was the most annoying kid in her entire town. He kissed ass with everyone just so he could get things. A while back, back when Sango and Miroku and everyone was around 10, Naraku beat Miroku up for telling his teacher that Naraku stole candy out of the candy jar. Of course, the teacher didn't believe Miroku.

Then, more recently, it was rumored that Naraku raped one of the town girls, and that was why his eyes were more dark. Everyone was afraid of him, because if he didn't get his way, he could seriously hurt someone. He was good with weapons, and he also had a rather muscular build, so he couldn't knock someone out in a matter of minutes.

Sango hated this… thing. Was he even human? She couldn't imagine anyone being so creepy. Thinking of him in her mind made her almost throw up. He had greasy black hair that was almost as long as hers. His eyes were completely black, with dark circles under them. It seemed like when he walked past anything living, like flowers, they would wilt because of his awful aura (and possibly his awful stench).

But to get married to him? It was impossible. She really didn't want to, but Sango was never the rebellious type. She ate the food served on her plate, no complaints, even if she hated it. And this meal was no delicacy - the slug Naraku, slithering all over her fine china had to be eaten, along with the rest of the entrees that were Sango's life.

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(I really hate how I can't describe Naraku has a hideous man, but oh well… Hopefully you get the gist.)

Sango and Naraku's marriage was nothing to be proud of. The ceremony consisted of Sango's mother, a few of Junko's friends, Naraku's small family, and maybe three or four townspeople.

The marriage itself wasn't even ready to be considered normal. Sango didn't let Naraku touch her. For the "you may now kiss the bride" part of the ceremony, she simply turned her head so he slid his grey lips across her cheek. She would never let that monster touch her lips. They belonged to Miroku, and so did her body. That's why she insisted on sleeping in separate beds.

Almost everyday she went to her old house, checking to see if there was any mail. But there never was. And she knew there probably would never be mail again.

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Until one day… The mail came to Naraku's house (she wouldn't dare call it her own house…). Sango looked at the text on the envelope. It was a miracle. It was from the Union army. It was addressed to Naraku, but that was probably because he was the male, and his name came up under this address.

She slid her finger under the paper and tore the top open. She shook the letter out and held it in her hands, staring at it before opening it. It read:

_Mr. Naraku Kumo,_

_The Union army needs you to participate in Regiment 43 of the force. Please join us on June 15th. Thank you._

_General McClellan_

"What are you doing?"

Sango dropped the paper she was holding onto the kitchen table, looking directly at Naraku. He slowly walked towards her, and she braced her self for the pain he would inflict.

"Since when were you allowed to open _my _mail?"

"Why can't I?"

Curiosity killed the cat.

Sango got slapped. Hard. Naraku threw her against the wall and threw his fist into her face. "Don't you dare backtalk me, bitch. You're damn mistaken if you think you can do _anything _in this house without my permission. You understand me?"

Sango just looked at him, a scared expression on her face.

"Do you understand me!"

She quickly nodded, and he smirked before backing away from her and reading the letter. Without saying a word, Naraku took the letter upstairs and started packing.

Sango was relieved that he was leaving… She wasn't surprised he'd hurt her, and she wouldn't put it past him that he'd hurt her again in the future. So it was good that he was leaving. Then she'd be alone. Again.

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That night, Sango silently went to the bathroom and took out a few first aid items to clean off her battered face. "You walked into an opening door," was what Naraku told her to tell her mother or anyone else who asked what happened to her.

She cleaned up her bruised face and bloody mouth quickly and efficiently. _'The army…'_ The thought of it made her want to join it too. She wanted to see what all of this fuss was about. She was too scared to ever watch a battle, like some people did for the first Bull Run (Manassas is another name for it). She had no clue what the army was like. She wondered if there was a place for her there.

Then it hit her. _'I could be a nurse! I could go there and help everyone… Maybe even find my family… Or Miroku.'_

This was her decision that changed her life forever. This was the last day like this for the rest of her life.

_I believe there will come a time_

_When the world stars to shine in grace_

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A/N: YAAAY! Chapter two is done! And it's done confidently! HOORAY! I'm so happy! Please review and make me happier! OH and wtf this fic hasn't earned much attention o.o; OH and if anyone was wondering… the grammatical errors in the song lyrics are SUPPOSED to be like that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. I do not own "Glory of Life".

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**A/N:** HI! Thank you again for the reviews… A bit more than last time. Yay!

Oh goodness you guys really must check out this site… www(dot)smosh(dot)com ! They're so funny, I love the Smosh Short 1: Dolls.

Yay! On to the chapter! OHH! But **if you get really grossed out by stuff… then you shouldn't read some of this**. Because I go into some detail…

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**Glory of Life**

**Chapter Three**

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_We can stand up and sing_

_The love that's within us will conquer, in some way_

_Now we're fighting to win_

_So hold on to this dream for the glory of life_

"You girls are to get rid of any jewelry, makeup, hoop-skirts, and anything that might attract attention to yourselves. You are all to look similar -- plain, middle-aged women."

Sango huffed. _'Middle-aged? I'm not even 25 yet!'_ The bitchy old woman walked down the line of women who all wanted to help out in the Civil War by being nurses. Girls handed over all of their bracelets and earrings, and the ones with makeup on were ordered to go over to the bathroom and wash it all off.

You see, if you looked all flashy and stuff then the men being treated would be more interested in you. If everyone looked plain, then it wouldn't necessarily be about who looked the best, but who was the nicest. They would care more about how they were treated. Nurses were meant to treat people, not to look good.

Once the old hag was satisfied with the transformation, she led the women through the small field hospital to show them where supplies were. After their small tour, the woman in charge counted them off by ones and twos, ones being the nurses who stayed in the hospital and twos being the battlefield nurses. Sango couldn't believe that _this_ was how they were divided, but she was a two.

Being a battlefield nurse sucked, Sango learned. She was in a lot of danger while she was helping the injured soldiers. Bullets never stopped flying, so she would have to dodge a few while working. There were bodies everywhere, and sometimes it sickened Sango. So many people died, but the people fighting almost didn't notice. They were too busy trying to keep themselves alive. It was awful.

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A few weeks into her battlefield experience, the woman who had given her the job asked Sango to switch being a battlefield nurse to becoming a nurse who stayed in the hospital. Sango was more than happy to switch… it was much safer, and much cleaner. Everyday in the battlefield, she'd have to wring out her long skirt because it would get soaked with blood.

But in the field hospital, it was okay because there wasn't as much blood on the ground. The only thing she could complain about was the smell. There were so many open wounds on the many soldiers lying around, blood was on the ground, and sickness was multiplying like rabbits. It smelled like the most awful thing she'd ever smelled in her life. It couldn't be put into words. But she was happy, or at least, the happiest she'd get in this living hell.

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Sango wanted to badly to find Miroku. That had been one of the main reasons why she became a nurse. But she was working here for four months, and still had yet to see him. She wanted to know if he had sent a letter to her… Or maybe if he had come home. But she was stuck here until God knew when, and she'd never find out if he had tried to reach her.

"Sango, we need you to treat this patient quickly!" called in another nurse, Kagome, from the waiting room. Kagome was nice. A little too perky for this sort of place, but nice. Patients were treated according to the severity of their wounds. Like in the Emergency Room. Sango felt bad for the ones who had to stay, waiting in agonizing pain for hours on end.

Sango didn't look out into the waiting room, she just called "bring him in" while she got out my bucket of cold water and sponge. (a/n: there was no sanitation until almost the 1900's. There was no sanitation during the Civil War. Ewww…) With Sango's back turned toward the patient, her heart stopped cold by the two syllables that came out of his mouth.

"Sango…"

She whipped around, and came face to face with a bloody Naraku. His face was mangled, with teeth missing and a mass of bruises. She let her eyes trail downwards, to see he had a humongous gash in his left leg, not to mention the shards of bone coming out of his skin. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Here was her "husband", almost bleeding to death in front of her.

She hesitated, not taking her eyes off of his bloody leg, but called, "Surgeon!"

Doctor Inuyasha, the main surgeon of the small hospital rushed over and got out his own supplies to clean up the wound. "Sango, I'm going to need a lot of things to soak up blood. We're going to perform an amputation, he's been hit with a Minie Ball… It shatters the bone…" Inuyasha just kept on talking but Sango didn't want to hear it, she just rushed off and grabbed a few towels.

Sango closed her eyes when she saw Inuyasha pull out a long saw - The Capitol Saw. But closing her eyes didn't help. She could still hear it, Naraku's muffled screams, and the saw slicing through each layer of skin until it cut through the cracking bone. Sango felt the screams crawling up her throat too, but she swallowed them. She saw this stuff everyday, why was it hitting her like this now? Was it because it was Naraku? But why? She hated him. She shouldn't be feeling like this for _him_.

"Scissors," Inuyasha ordered. But Sango was too dazed to hear it. "Scissors! Hurry up, god dammit or he's gonna bleed even more!" Sango fumbled around the table, and clumsily grabbed the scissors before plopping them into Doctor Inuyasha's hands. He snipped veins here, skin there, tied some loose ends together clumsily, and voila! His work was done. He wiped his ungloved hands on his apron, soaking it with fresh blood before walking away.

Shaking, Sango wrapped the bandages around Naraku's leg, which was now cut off at the knee. The bandages were already being soaked by blood, and dripping onto her grey dress. She decided to let them soak while she caught her breath.

She slowly and silently wrapped the bandages around him, then left without saying a word.

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A week had passed. No words came out of Naraku's mouth. Especially not now. Kagome had told Sango that Naraku died overnight. Sango didn't know what the feeling she had was called, but it felt awful. It turned out that the infection from the amputation spread through his body, and he died. It was a typical death, but the first death that truly affected Nurse Sango.

Days, weeks, months passed in the blink of an eye. The sky was always the sad color of grey, with splatters of red wounding the nurses' spirits. When would people stop dying? When would this end? It had almost been a year since Sango made this her profession, but every day never seemed to end. Each day was just strung to the other, a never ending cycle of cleaning and dressing wounds.

And then there was the ray of light.

"Come in, please," Sango called from her place. She heard feet shuffling, and she heard someone sit down softly on the cot. She sighed. _'Okay, time to act cheerful. Gotta get these soldiers' spirits up! Can't bring them down with the rest of us.'_ She turned around and scanned her eyes over the man's body. "So, what have we got here?"

The man grunted and hesitated. "… Just a, umm, knife wound to the shoulder…"

"Alright."

"What happened to you?"

Sango's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Look at you now… You've lost your glow."

Sango kept her back turned to the man, trying not to listen to his crazy stories. He was probably delusional… Sometimes injuries did that to you. "Look pal, I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Mmm…" the man sighed, and then Sango felt it. Right there. On her bottom. A hand. Squeezing. She knew that hand. It had to be…

"Miroku!"

Sango turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around him, almost crying from all the happiness that swelled inside her heart.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Aah… I'm sorry. I'm just so happy to see you!" Sango wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked into Miroku's. He had changed. He was much tanner now, and his face looked older. His smile had more happiness to it, though. And with it, much more smile lines. "Wow, you look so different."

"You too. Why so plain?"

Sango frowned. "I have to look this way. It's part of the requirements," she stated as she went to work on his shoulder. "You know, you're lucky this isn't fatal. It didn't even hit a bone. All you need to do is rest for a little while, then you'll be fine."

"My my… Aren't we the expert?"

Sango smirked. "Shut up."

They were quiet for a while after Sango started putting Miroku's shirt back on. He finally spoke up. "What brings you all the way out here?"

Sango shifted, not sure what to tell him. But she decided to tell him the truth. "I actually came out here looking for you… Kind of… And I noticed how good I was at taking care of my bruises…"

"Wait, what?"

"I came out here looking for you!"

"No. Your bruises?"

Sango sat down beside Miroku and told him what happened when he was gone. About Naraku. Miroku couldn't stop staying sorry for leaving. He felt so terrible.

"Why didn't you write me? You promised to. I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry!" Miroku said for the thousandth time. "My regiment didn't have anymore paper. We had to sell things because we needed new shoes. I'm really sorry, Sango. You know I would keep my promise."

"I know. I was just so worried. I was afraid you died."

Nurse Kagome (ooh sounds so kinky… KINKome… that's for you, Shannon!) popped her head into the room and said, "It's almost time for lights out."

Sango smiled (fake of course) and thought, _'What is this, pre-school?' _"Well I guess I should get going… I don't want to get in trouble!" Sango said with sarcasm in her tone.

"Yeah… Guess this is good night then."

"Yeah… Guess it is." But Sango didn't get up. She quickly wrapped her arms around Miroku's waist, not his shoulder this time, and sighed into his neck when she felt him wrap his arms around her body. Sango looked into his navy blue eyes for a moment before softly pressing her lips against his.

Before she started blushing, she walked out of the room with a quiet "good night." She giggled to herself when she got into her bed. Sweet dreams of Miroku filled her head.

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A/N: YAY! Ooh I worked SO hard on this chapter. It's 4 pages instead of 3. Yay! Ooh and people are taking notice to the fic! I'm so happy! Keep up your support! I love you guys!

**MUY, MUY IMPORTANTE! **I'm going to be updating every 2 weeks from here on out. I have an art class for 3 days, and also **I got a job**. So I won't have a lot of free time to update anymore, but I'm still going to try. Maybe once school starts and the job dies down I'll go back to updating every week, but please be patient! Thank you!


	4. HIATUS

To everyone:

A very kind person gave me advice the other day. They said that if I needed to, that I should take a break.

I think I'm going to do that.

This story will be on **hiatus until August 10th**.

I'm going to work on the last two chapters, and a whole new story in that time, hopefully.

) thanks for all the support I've been getting. I'll see you guys in a month!

... Unless you want to talk to me on myspace.

Love you guys!


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